Inside the BeltLine: How a Grad School Thesis Became an Engine for Urban Revitalization and Economic Growth in Atlanta

Editor's Note: Coca-Cola Journey presents a two-part series on Atlanta’s BeltLine, an
innovative transportation and redevelopment project that’s drawing attention
from around the world. We start with a look at how the BeltLine has grown from a graduate
student’s brainstorm into a huge engine for urban revitalization and healthy
growth in our company's hometown.

Atlanta prides itself on being known as the
home of Martin Luther King, Jr., the 1996 Olympic Games and the world’s
busiest airport. But the metro area also faces challenges common to many major cities, namely transportation, sprawl and redevelopment.

Now, a new project is emerging that could rank among Atlanta’s proudest while also leading to new transportation and cultural directions, linking the city as never before.

The
Atlanta BeltLine is a proposed 22-mile ring of
walking and biking trails built on long-abandoned railroad tracks around
Atlanta’s core. The ambitious project has 17 years to go before its
proposed finish. But it already is bringing hundreds of millions of dollars to
the local economy and connecting neighborhoods previously separated by a
culture built almost entirely for automobiles.

Bikers enjoy a ride on the BeltLine trail on a crisp December afternoon.

“We are changing the landscape and
transforming the people in this city,” says Paul Morris, president and CEO of the Atlanta BeltLine Inc. “The
BeltLine is bringing joy, and that word is often used when people talk about it.
Who says that sort of thing when talking about spending money in the public
realm?”

Indeed, the BeltLine is unique in the country
and, as far as anyone can tell, in the world. The project is drawing accolades for its
innovative approach to transit, community redevelopment, environmentalism, healthy
lifestyles and more from the likes of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In May 2014, the International Real Estate Federation called it the best
environmental rehabilitation project in the world.

Its closest cousin seems to
be New York’s High Line, a 1.7-mile stretch of elevated walkway in Manhattan.
And it’s being used as a model for smaller projects around the country, where
changing demographics and lifestyle preferences are calling for smarter,
greener ways of urban living – and for celebrating unique cultural heritage.

The BeltLine is the brainchild of Ryan Gravel, who thought of the idea as a Georgia Tech grad student.

A Student’s Brainstorm

The Atlanta BeltLine is the brainchild of
urban planner Ryan Gravel. He’s 42
now, but was just a graduate student at Georgia Tech when
he conceived the idea and wrote about it for his thesis.

Gravel grew up in Atlanta’s suburbs, where he
and his friends drove to the mall rather than walk or bike around town. But
then he spent a year studying in Paris, walking and riding trains to school,
losing weight and feeling connected to the people and community.

“My morning commute took 45 minutes,” Gravel
recalls. “I’d walk down the street, see the baker, see the same old man walking
his dog every day, the women at the ticket counter, the same people on the train...
You’re participating in the life of a city, you look people in the eye, you
acknowledge people that you know.”

Gravel's vision was inspired by Atlanta’s rich railroad history. The BeltLine refurbishes and connects the city's abandoned tracks and makes them friendly for pedestrians and cyclists.

When he came back to a different 45-minute
commute, this one alone in his car, Gravel longed for something more, a social
experience, a way for people to share everyday life. Atlanta’s railroad history
provided the inspiration: What if we connected those old, forgotten tracks,
refurbished them, and made them friendly for pedestrians and bicyclists? And
what if we built a light-rail train alongside it?

It was all a nice idea but nothing more –
until later when Gravel started working on a local project and casually
mentioned his old idea to colleagues. They loved it so much that they sent letters
to 50 government and community leaders, netting the attention of Atlanta City
Councilmember Cathy Woolard, who
became the BeltLine’s earliest champion.

Woolard said the earliest
BeltLine proposal spoke directly to several issues she was dealing with in her
district and as chairperson of the city’s Transportation Committee. She began
sharing it with community groups and embedding necessary language within city
regulations to ensure the project could get going.

“It really took a village
to shape the plan, and I was just lucky to be the person to help start the
conversation,” says Woolard, who serves on the BeltLine’s board of directors.
“The vision is coming to life. It’s really striking how much it’s looking like
what we envisioned then.”

Coca-Cola was an early BeltLine supporter, contributing $2.1 million since 2005.

“Certainly the
BeltLine benefits the community at large, so you’ve got business,
government and civil society working together for the good of everyone. At Coke, we call that the 'Golden Triangle,' so it worked very nicely for us,” says Lisa Borders, who succeeded Woolard as City Council president and is now chair of The Coca-Cola Foundation and vice president of Global Community Affairs at The Coca-Cola Company.

‘An Interesting Conversation’

With grassroots and political support
growing, the BeltLine also enjoyed contributions from other top corporations in
Atlanta, including Delta Air Lines and The Home Depot.

Still, even Gravel didn’t realize its full
potential at that point. “For the first year and a half, I didn’t
really think we were going to build it,” he recalls. “I just thought we were
having an interesting conversation.”

The tipping point for him came at a public
hearing, when Gravel overheard strangers drumming up support for “our
BeltLine.”

For many in the community, the point came
when the first portion of the trail opened in 2012. Suddenly, the grad
student’s romantic notion was tangible. Real. And really cool. The 2-mile stretch
connected several prosperous neighborhoods starting at the tony, but hip, Inman Park and
going to Piedmont Park, the city’s crown jewel of open space and site of most
of its largest community festivals.

In that area alone, BeltLine officials estimate more
than $800 million has been spent on development, including:

More than 2,700 apartments and
residences, appealing to two key markets: young professionals and “empty
nesters,” or older couples who want to live in the city now that their children
have left home.

The Ponce City Market, a separate huge redevelopment of a 2 million-square-foot department store built a century ago. It’s being shepherded by
Jamestown Properties in the manner of its Chelsea Market in New York.

Trendy restaurants and shops with
bike racks and patios overlooking the trail, and marketing that highlights the
connection.

The BeltLine also sponsors fun runs, free
exercise programs and public art. The annual Night of the Lanterns drew 20,000
participants last fall, lighting up the trail for a fun evening out.

“It’s genuinely bringing people together,”
Morris says.

If You Go

The two-mile stretch of the BeltLine’s Eastside
Trail offers a great way to spend a few hours, whether you’re visiting Atlanta
for business or pleasure. Here are a few highlights along the way, starting at
the southern end at Irwin Street.

Krog Street Market just
opened, with a variety of restaurants and a few shops. It’s one of several
redevelopments of old commercial space in the area.

Start your walk or ride with an
ice cream cone from Jeni’s there or at the Jake’s at the trailhead. It’s in a funky little collective of shops
worthy of a stroll.

Or, for finer dining before or
after, try Kevin
Rathbun Steak, from the celebrity chef and
BeltLine supporter.